commodity

Gold has had a poor run since its peak of $1,950 U.S. an ounce in 2011; its current price of $1,174 an ounce is now 40% lower. Over the same period, stock markets have soared. This has led many investors to question the role of gold in their investment portfolios.


Gold has historically offset U.S....

To create a balanced ETF portfolio, focus on funds that hold the kind of stocks we recommend

We think foreign stocks can safely make up 10% of a conservative investor’s portfolio. One way is through the selection of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus.


The best of those ETFs continue to offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of high-quality stocks.


Here’s a look at four international ETFs we see as suitable for new buying and two others we feel you should continue to hold.


ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $44.46 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) is designed to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.


The fund’s geographic breakdown is as follows: China, 31.4%; South Korea, 14.0%; Taiwan, 11.7%; India, 8.8%; South Africa, 6.6%; Brazil, 6.5%; Russia, 3.4%; Mexico, 3.1%; Malaysia, 2.4%; Thailand, 2.3%; Indonesia, 1.9%; and Poland, 1.2%.


Its top stocks are Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 5.0%; Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 4.1 %; Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 3.8%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 3.7%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet), 2.1%; China Construction Bank, 1.6%; Baidu (China: Internet), 1.3%; Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.0%; China Mobile, 1.0%; and Ping An Insurance Group (China), 0.9%.


iShares launched the ETF on April 7, 2003....

If you want to make the best energy stock investments, you should to read this advice

AGT FOOD & INGREDIENTS $14.87 (Toronto symbol AGT; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (604-231-1100; www.agtfoods.com; Shares o/s: 24.2 million; Market cap: $360.4 million; Divd. yield: 4.0%) continues to feel the negative impact of low worldwide prices for lentils....

Some mine stocks are major companies that have been producing for years. Penny stocks, on the other hand, may sound like great investments but are very speculative and risky.

Strategies on how to find penny stocks should focus on pinpointing speculative stocks that above all have real value—and aren’t just promotions

A: Westshore Terminals Investment Corp., $24.08, symbol WTE on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 70.7 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; www.westshore.com), operates a coal storage and loading terminal at Roberts Bank, B.C., about 30 kilometres south of Vancouver....

Higher commodity prices invariably spur producers to increase spending on new projects and to up their output. That frequently leads to the oversupply of the commodity and, eventually, lower prices.


The energy industry is no exception. Between 2002 and mid-2014, when oil prices were high, producers accelerated exploration and output....

There are several ways to gauge the performance of an ETF, among them is a look at the fund’s total return. This method calculates capital appreciation (or decline) and adds any other income such as dividends.


First, capital appreciation is measured using the price gain or loss of the ETF over the holding period....